Mrs Boot, her children Poppy and Sam and their dog Rusty have been firm favourites with my daughter since she received this book as a Christmas present when she was eighteen months old. The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales contains twenty stories (you can also buy the stories as separate mini books) and our version came with a CD. There are also Farmyard Tales sticker books and some of the stories have been translated into German.
The Stories: Mrs Boot (the farmer) lives with Mr Boot, Poppy, Sam and Rusty at Apple Tree Farm where there is always something happening. Pigs and sheep get out, kittens go missing, baby animals are born, a hot air balloon lands in the fields and there are trips to the local farm shows, on trains or to the market. Ted also works at Apple Tree Farm and is often involved with the adventures as is the neighbour, Farmer Dray, with his horse Dolly.
This book has been worth every penny and my daughter has grown up with it (it’s one of those books that comes in and out of favour). The stories are short and simple and follow the same format, the characters are introduced and then there is usually some sort of disaster or incident which is solved by the end of the story.
Stephen Cartwright’s illustrations are simple, colourful and appealing and there are two versions of the story text. A parent or confident reader can read the whole text but a beginner reader can read the short sentence at the top of each page and still have a story that makes sense. (Betty Root, author of Help Your Child Learn to Read, was the language consultant for this book which supports the beginner reader).
My daughter also loves to look at the map at the beginning of the book, it is interesting to see where all the adventures take place. There is also one of Usborne’s little yellow ducks to find in every picture.
The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales is a great first story book which grows with the child to the point where it also supports their first reading skills.
Age Range: 1 +
Author: Heather Amery / Illustrator: Stephen Cartwright
Mollie loves these. She has the set of separate mini books at Grandma’s house and they are a firm favourite. She is starting to move from finding the duck to reading the top line of text. She is just beginning to read so mainly picks baby books with a single simple word or two that she can read independently. These are a great middle ground.
These are a great alternative to reading books, especially if the child has grown up with the story.The familiarity takes the pressure off having to decode every word. Thankyou for visiting Story Snug 🙂
How lovely to have the full set! We have dipped in and out of the Farmyard Tales series and enjoyed them all (most recently the ABC flap book we just reviewed!) They have all been library loans but I can see the benefits of owning them since as you point out they are also good for when your child is learning to read.
It was definitely worth buying the book and CD and I think it is a good price for twenty stories. Our copy is very well read and has stood the test of time. I am very interested in seeing the ABC flap book that you have just reviewed on your blog, it would be great to learn the ABC with old friends 🙂
I love the dual text concept of this book so it can also be a read aloud text in a preschool. In small group activity individual children could read for themselves. Vivid illustrations are always important for this age.
I don’t know of any other books that take this dual concept approach but it is a wonderful idea to learn to read with stories that you are already familiar with.
Hi there, this looks great and certainly seems to come very highly recommended by your daughter. My little girl is almost two so I’m definitely going to try and get this. A good price too for so many stories. Thanks for the tip!
We will treasure our copy forever, it is so well loved and the stories are perfect for two year olds. The CD is great for the car too.